### Meeting Overview The Bellingham Planning Commission met on April 2nd, 2026, for an informational meeting focused on two major updates: parking reform project and interim ordinance extension, and home occupation code update discussion. The meeting featured extensive public comment on development, parking policies, and neighborhood character concerns. ### Key Terms and Concepts **Home Occupation:** A business operated out of a residence by the person who lives there, such as piano lessons or massage therapy, different from remote work for an outside company. **Interim Ordinance:** A temporary law that removes minimum parking requirements citywide while staff develops permanent regulations, currently extended until July 28, 2026. **Commercial Continuum:** A planning concept showing the progression from in-home businesses to separated in-home businesses to neighborhood-scale commercial uses like cafes and stores. **Type Six Process:** A formal public hearing process requiring Planning Commission recommendation and City Council approval to make interim regulations permanent. **Middle Housing:** Smaller-scale housing types like duplexes, triplexes, and townhomes that fit between single-family homes and large apartment buildings. **Parking Reform:** Eliminating minimum parking requirements to allow developers to provide parking based on market demand rather than city mandates. **Design Review:** The regulatory process that determines what new buildings will look like, affecting neighborhood character and community support for development. **SB 5184:** State legislation (Parking Reform and Modernization Act) that limits how much parking jurisdictions can require, with compliance deadline of January 27, 2027. ### Key People at This Meeting | Name | Role / Affiliation | |---|---| | Jed Ballew | Planning Commission Chair | | Claire Swingle | New Planning Commission member | | Daniel Bloemker | Planning Commissioner | | Jerry Richmond | Planning Commissioner | | Ana Gedrath | City Planner II, Long Range Planning | | Blake Lyon | Planning Director | | Sydney Prusak | City Planner II | | Sarah Olman | City Planner II | | Steve Spitzer | Resident, 4204 Samish Way | …